After the end of the Second World War, Argentina was flush with money
and in consequence launched a lavish spending spree on new aircraft. As
the United Kingdom owed substantial sums of money to Argentina for
supplies received during the war, the UK became a beneficiary of this
investment campaign. Between 1945 and 1950 large numbers of aircraft
were delivered to Argentina by enthusiastic British manufacturers.
Amongst the aircraft bought were Gloster Meteors, Percival Prentices,
Vickers Vikings, Bristol Freighters, Avro Lancasters and Lincolns, and
Avro Yorks. Even the Avro Tudor was given serious consideration, with
six Avro 689 Tudor 6 aircraft being ordered by FAMA.

However, this order was cancelled and
the aircraft were never built. Some of the first airliners to complete
the long journey to South America were a fleet of new Short Sandringham
flying boats, with the first aircraft arriving at Buenos Aires late in
1945. These grand ladies would enjoy many years of reliable service in
Argentina, and would outlive virtually all the other British aircraft
delivered to the country.

DODERO’S
AMBITIONS

The Argentine airline system was in a
state of turmoil after the war. Many enterprising individuals had
attempted to launch new companies, but the newly installed government of
President Juan Peron did not support such initiatives. Peron was a big
believer in the ‘state*. For example, he nationalised the British
managed railway system. Few dared to oppose him! He would remain as
president until 1955 when a coup d’état ousted him from power and he
fled to Paraguay in a Catalina.

Jose Dodero was one Argentine prepared to
take on the Peron Government and to launch private airline operations.
He owned shipping interests in Argentina and neighbouring Paraguay, and
he began buying aircraft without having first secured all the necessary
traffic rights. He personally ordered four Short Sandringhams for
operation by Compania Argentina de Navegación Dodero SA to open new
passenger routes across the River Plate. He selected a version powered
by Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp R-1830 radial engines.

Two aircraft were designated Sandringham
Mk.2 accommodating 28 passengers on the lower deck, and a further 17
passengers and a cocktail bar on the upper deck. These aircraft were
intended to operate the shorter routes, while two Sandringham Mk.3
aircraft were earmarked for the longer routes and featured seating for
only 21 passengers on the lower deck together with a dining room and
cocktail bar on the upper deck.

The latter aircraft were intended to open
an international route to Natal and Bathurst. Dodero had also ordered
nine Douglas Skymasters for proposed international services and six
Norseman utility aircraft (LV-AAT - Y) for local feeder operations. He
would never operate the DC-4s as the government refused to give him any
international route rights.

Short Sandringham Aik.3 G-AGPY
on a snow-covered Belfast apron in January 1946 shortly before departing
to Argentina.

The four Sandringhams cost $1,250,000
each, and comprised two Mk.2 variants G-AGPZ “Argentina” and G-AGPT
“Uruguay", and two Mk.3 variants G-AGTZ “Inglaterra” and G-AGPY "Brazil”.
Señora de Dodero, the wife of the Chairman of the shipping line,
launched the first aircraft in a naming ceremony at Belfast on Thursday
November 1 1945. Commanded by BOAC skipper Captain Dudley Travers, DFC,
G-AGPZ departed on November 19, and having staged via Lisbon, Bathurst,
Natal and Rio, alighted at Buenos Aires two days later after making the
7,330 mile long journey in a flying time of 45 hours 57 minutes. On this
ferry flight the aircraft carried a crew of seven, twelve passengers and
a supernumerary crew of three. This latter crew included Short’s Chief
Test Pilot of Rochester, Geoffrey Tyson, who was later to become famous
as the commander of the Saro Princess on her maiden flight. The second
Sandringham was launched on December 5 and named “Uruguay” by Señora
Dulcia Pereira Cortinas de MacEachan, the wife of the Uruguayan
ambassador to London. This aircraft departed from Poole on delivery to
Buenos Aires on the morning of December 21 1945 piloted by Captain E H J
F Moreton, and arrived in Buenos Aires on December 26.

The rather spartan cockpit
of a Short Sandringham. (Shorts)

Sandringham 3 G-AGPY
began her delivery flight to Buenos Aires at the beginning of February
1946, with G-AGTZ completing the
quartet early in March. This latter aircraft was flown to South America
by Air Commodore G J “Taffy” Powell, Managing Director of British
Aviation Services, and later to achieve fame through Silver City Airways.

Following delivery to Buenos Aires all
four aircraft adopted Argentine registrations, with G-AGPT becoming
LV-AAP, while G-AGPY became
LV-AAR, G-AGPZ LV-AAO and
G-AGTZ LV-AAQ. In addition, a
Sunderland 3 was ordered by Dodero from Short Brothers with a 45-seat
passenger layout. Registered G-AGWX,
this aircraft was earmarked to become LV-AAS,
but was sold before delivery to Causa in Uruguay as
CX-AKF.

With all four Sandringhams safely moored
in Buenos Aires, Dodero now battled with the authorities for permission
to launch his air services. In an effort to gain traffic rights he took
control of Corporacion Sudamericana de Servicios Aereos, which had
permission to fly to Montevideo in Uruguay and Asunción in Paraguay.
However, the Peron Government had introduced a new regulation which
provided for the creation of ‘mixed economy companies* through both
private and government ownership.

Meanwhile, Dodero became one of the
founders of a new airline named ALFA in May 1946. The four Sandringhams
were transferred to Aviación Litoral Fluvial
Argentino (ALFA), while through his take-over of Corporacion
Sudamericana de Servicios Aereos, Dodero had also inherited two Macchi
C-94 seaplanes (LV-AAD and LV-AAF)
and a Consolidated Commodore (LV-AAL).
However, these aircraft were not flown by ALFA. While the ALFA operation
became established, the Government issued a temporary permit for the
“Corporacion” to continue operating its services with the Sandringhams.

Early picture of
Sandringham LV-AAO displaying ALFA titling at Buenos Aires in the late
forties. The livery appears to be overall metallic with blue and white
markings on the tail. (via D. Veres)

Eventually, ALFA launched services on
January 8 1947. Flights departed from Buenos Aires following the course
of the Parana river north to Parana, Corrientes, Formosa, and
terminating in the capital of Paraguay, Asunción. This service had
earlier been pioneered by Corporacion Sudamericana with its Macchi
seaplanes, and the Sandringhams offered a far superior standard of
service flying from the “Puerto Nuevo” in Buenos Aires harbour. Other
services were flown to Montevideo and Punta del Este in Uruguay. The
latter destination is a very fashionable summer resort much favoured by
rich Argentines and Uruguayans, and this route was consequently only
maintained during the summer months. The final route plied by the
Sandringhams linked Buenos Aires with Concordia and Posadas, with the
flying boats following the Uruguay river to Concordia, and then overland
to Posadas. Dodero later acquired five DC-3s and two Beech 18s (LV-AAZ
and LV-ABD) to supplement the Norsemen, and these aircraft served other
destinations in the northern part of Argentina.

Dodero had planned to serve Europe, but
these aspirations were dashed when the Peron Government instead chose
the state-owned FAMA as the nation’s ‘flag carrier’. However, in an
ironic twist of fate, FAMA chartered ALFA Sandringhams to operate
international flights between June and September 1946. Sandringham
“Brazil” became the first Argentine commercial aircraft to cross the
Atlantic on July 4 1946 when it flew from Buenos Aires to Biscarosse in
France via Rio de Janeiro, Natal and Bathurst. Eventually, several of
the Dodero DC-4s were transferred to FAMA to operate these international
routes. One further Sandringham Mk.2 was acquired in November 1946 when
G-AHRE “Paraguay” was delivered to
ALFA, becoming LV-ACT in service.

During 1947 ALFA flew more passengers
than any other existing Argentine carrier (FAMA, Aeroposta and Zonda),
carrying 39,109 passengers. This figure rose to 65,900 in the following
year. ALFA lost money in both 1948 and 1949, but the number of employees
rose from 644 to 978 during these years. However, these initial
operations were marred by the tragic accident to LV-AAP which was lost on July 29 1948 with sixteen lives.
Under the command of Captain V A Bello, the aircraft had been attempting
to land at Buenos Aires in fog inbound from Rosario. Unfortunately the
aircraft crashed, and although the remains were initially salvaged,
these were destroyed by fire in a hangar at the Buenos Aires flying boat
base on December 24 1948.

Two civilianised Short Sunderland V
aircraft were also ordered in 1948 for delivery in a 51-seat
configuration. Delivery of these aircraft, registered LV-AHG “Uruguay "
and LV-AHH “Rio de la Plata ”, was apparently delayed until 1951
following a reorganisation of Argentina’s airlines.

Early fifties view of
Sandringham LV-AAO taking off.

AEROLINEAS
ARGENTINAS TAKES OVER

In May 1949 all the mixed economy airline
companies were nationalised, and their services brought under Ministry
of Transportation supervision until the formal establishment of
Aerolíneas Argentinas on December 7 1950. The new airline inherited a
large and extremely varied fleet of airliners including DC-3s, DC-4s,
DC-6s, Ju-52s, Avro Yorks, and the Sandringhams. While the Yorks were
sold off in the UK and the Ju-52s were sold to the Ministry of
Agriculture for use as 'crop dusters*, the now well established
Sandringhams were retained for the River Plate network. They soon
sported new Aerolíneas livery, but their names remained unchanged.

With the new national airline keen to
modernise its fleet, Aerolíneas had planned to withdraw the Sandringhams
as soon as a replacement could be found. But they worked well in the
Plate and Parana river areas, and instead they became an important
element of the airline's fleet. Indeed, so successful were these
aircraft that when SAS ceased flying boat operations in Norway in 1955,
Aerolíneas purchased their last Sandringham. This aircraft had been the
last Sunderland converted to civil configuration in June 1949 as a
Sandringham 6, and she joined Aerolíneas Argentinas as LV-AHM “Almirante Zar” in June 1955. At
this stage, apart from LV-AAP, all other Argentine Sandringhams remained
operational. It is also interesting to note that the airline was not
alone as a Sandringham operator in the region, with two former BOAC
aircraft being bought by Causa in Uruguay in December 1950.

Aerolíneas Argentinas flew the Buenos
Aires to Montevideo route alongside the Causa Sandringhams, with four
flights weekly scheduled in each direction during 1954. A three times
weekly direct service was flown between Buenos Aires and Concordia,
while the Sandringhams also flew thrice weekly from Buenos Aires to
Posadas. One service weekly continued beyond Posadas to Corrientes and
Asunción. Seasonal services were also flown to Punta del Este in
Uruguay. Five services weekly linked Buenos Aires direct with
Corrientes, with two of these flights continuing on to Asunción and
Concepcion in Paraguay, while the remaining three services terminated at
Asunción. A lack of suitable airports meant that the Sandringhams became
a lifeline for many of the communites along the rivers, and to give this
operation an idea of scale the flight from Buenos Aires to Posadas
covered almost 500 statute miles in a flight time of three hours twenty
minutes.

Over the years these Sandringhams gave
very good service taking into account the demanding nature of these
operations. There were occasional mishaps, with LV-AHH running aground
and suffering superficial damage
whilst taxying on the River Uruguay at Concordia on March 21 1952.
LV-ACT struck submerged stones at
Villa de Concepcion on February 19 1954 and was damaged.

Another Sandringham,
LV-AAO, made a forced landing 45 miles south east of Posadas
on October 16 1954. On all these occasions, the aircraft were salvaged
and placed back into service. However, the airline lost Sandringham
LV-AAR on December 31 1957 when the aircraft force landed
shortly after taking off from Buenos Aires with the loss of nine lives.
The aircraft had suffered engine problems shortly after departure, and
the captain elected to turn back. On landing in rough water, the
aircraft bounced and then sank. Captain Miguel Albero, five crew and 36
passengers were rescued, but a steward and a further eight passengers
died in the tragedy. Sandringham 1 LV-AHG
was also written off, without fatalities, after sinking whilst alighting
at Montevideo on February 11 1959. Although the latter aircraft
was salvaged, she did not re-enter service with the airline.

Former SAS Sandringham
newly arrived at Buenos Aires in 1955 as LV-PAE. This aircraft began her
delivery flight from Norway on April 28 1955, passing through
Southampton en-route, and was still present there on May 26. (via Flap
Archives

By the end of the decade, Aerolíneas
Argentinas was making major changes to its network, with the de
Havilland Comet now taking pride of place in the airline’s fleet.
Although the Sandringhams were now veterans of a bygone era, they
continued to remain the backbone of the airline’s local river routes.
However, with new airports being built and more advanced local airliners
available, the reign of the Sandringham was drawing to a close.

In November 1959 Aerolineas announced its
intention to cease flying the Sandringhams in April 1960. This statement
generated protests at most of the destinations served by these reliable
airliners, with these remote communities fearing that they would lose
their air services altogether. Thus, Aerolineas found that it was only
able to withdraw the flying boats on the route to Montevideo, whilst
continuing to maintain services to all the other destinations.

In October 1961, the new airport at
Corrientes was inaugurated with the arrival of a Comet, but unruffled by
the sleek new jet airliner, the Sandringhams continued to serve this
destination for some time afterwards.

1962 was a year of great fleet transition
for Aerolineas Argentinas. It saw the phasing out of the Convair 240
fleet, which was sold to Paraguay, and the arrival of new Caravelles and
Avro 748s. This was also the year when the patience of the management in
relation to the old flying boats finally ran out. On May 1 1962
Aerolineas closed down its flying boat operation, and stored the five
surviving aircraft at Puerto Nuevo in Buenos Aires.

This was some two years after the
original intended withdrawal of the type, and coincided with the
introduction of the first Avro 748s onto the local services network.
Although the DC-3s and 748s were capable of now operating to most
airports, Concordia was briefly stripped of its air service as the small
airfield was even unsuitable for DC-3s. But under the real threat of
becoming isolated, local efforts soon upgraded the airfield to allow 748
services to begin in September 1962. The new Avros also began flights to
Montevideo and the seasonal service to Punta del Este in Uruguay.

The Uruguayan carrier Causa also
suspended Sandringham operations in 1962, having served the Montevideo
to Buenos Aires route since 1938 with seaplanes - firstly with float-equipped
Junkers Ju-52s, and later with the Sandringhams.

Causa acquired two second-hand
Constellations from KLM as replacements. With the Sandringhams, the
airline had flown on weekdays only between Colonia and Buenos Aires, and
twice daily each weekday between Montevideo and Buenos Aires. Once the
flying boats had been retired, Causa suspended the Colonia schedule,
thereby allowing a new regional airline named ARCO (see “Propliner”
issue 91) to be formed to fly the route. Causa’s Sandringhams would
languish in the harbour at Montevideo for some time to come.

It is interesting to note that elsewhere
in the world other parallel Sandringham and Solent operations ceased in
the same timeframe. TEAL shut down its famous “Coral Route” with Solents
in 1960 following completion of the new airport at Tahiti in 1959.
Aquila ceased its unique Sandringham and Solent flights to Madeira,
Capri and other idyllic holiday locations in September 1958. RAI in
French Polynesia likewise closed down its Sandringham services in Tahiti
in 1963, with their aircraft being saved by the Musee de L'Air in Paris.
Following the closure of the Aerolineas operation, only the RAI
Sandringham and the aircraft flown by Ansett Flying Boat Services in
Australia from Rose Bay continued in commercial service anywhere in the
world.

But the days of the Argentine Sandringham
fleet were not entirely at an end. In August 1963 a new co-operative
airline named Cooperativa Argentina de Aeronavegantes took over the
stored fleet and painted their titles on three of the five aircraft,
LV-AAO, LV-AAQ and LV-AHH. Founded
by Dardo Gonzalez the company also took over the Buenos Aires repair
shops, hydroport installations and three launches in order to support
the revived operation. Some services were launched in December 1963, but
the venture was not a success and all flying had ceased by the middle of
1964 due to economic reasons. The Sandringhams became a familiar sight
at Puerto Nuevo for a number of years afterwards as one drove by on the
"Costanera” road alongside the river. Gradually their state of repair
deteriorated, and they were eventually scrapped in 1967. No longer would
these magnificent flying boats operate from the murky brown waters of
the River Plate, and today their place has been taken by high-speed
hydrofoils shooting their courses across the waters of the river.
Efficient perhaps, but nothing like as romantic!

ARGENTINE
SHORT SANDRINGHAMS

LV-AAO
c/n SH.1C Mk.2 delivered to Dodero as G-AGPZ following C of A issue
17.11.45. Named “Argentina”. Transferred to ALFA .01.47. Float and
starboard wing damaged whilst taxying on River Plate 08.01.47.
Transferred to Aerolineas Argentinas .12.50. Damaged in forced landing
75 kilometres south east of Posadas 16.10.54. Sold to Cooperativa
Argentina de Aeronavegantes (CAA) .08.63. Scrapped 1967.

LV-AAP c/n SH.2C Mk.2 delivered to
Dodero as G-AGPT following C of A issue 05.12.45. Named “Uruguay".
Transferred to ALFA .02.47. Written off landing at Buenos Aires
29.07.48. 16 killed.

LV-AAQ c/n SH.4C Mk.3 delivered to
Dodero as G-AGTZ following C of A issue 26.02.46. Named “Inglaterra ”.
Transferred to ALFA .01.48, and to Aerolineas .12.50. Damaged at Buenos
Aires 31.07.58. Sold to CAA .11.63. Scrapped 1967.

LV-AAR c/n SH.3C Mk.3 delivered to
Dodero as G-AGPY following C of A issue 21.01.46. Named “Brazil”.
Transferred to ALFA .12.47, and to Aerolineas .12.50. Written off after
making emergency landing at Buenos Aires 31.12.57. Nine killed.

LV-AAS c/n SH.6C Sunderland Mk.3
formerly ML876 delivered to Dodero as G-AGWX following C of A issue
29.03.46. Sold to CAUSA as CX-AKF in 1948.

LV-ACT c/n c/n SH.43C Mk.2 delivered
to Dodero as G-AHRE following C of A issue 12.11.46. .Named "Paraguay”.
Transferred to ALFA .12.47, and to Aerolineas .12.50. Damaged after
striking stones while alighting at Villa de Concepcion, Paraguay,
19.02.54. Damaged near Buenos Aires 18.06.59. Sold to CAA .08.63.
Scrapped 1967.

LV-AHM c/n SH.71C Mk.6 purchased
from SAS as LN-LMK and delivered to Aerolineas Argentinas as LV-PAE
.05.55. Named "Almirante Zar”. Damaged near Buenos Aires 19.06.59. Sold
to CAA 16.04.63 and scrapped.